Reflections on Being Part of “The Great Resignation”

This summer was hands down the busiest of my life. Starting KS Media Co. meant the start of a new chapter and a life outside of “corporate” America. Like many other people, I’ve become part of “The Great Resignation”: a time of reflection for many people to rethink what work means to them and what they want out of their futures. I am genuinely so inspired by seeing likeminded people question the status quo and go after their dreams, whether that means a new role or something totally different.

Personally, I’ve already learned so much as an entrepreneur and first-time business owner and I can say without a doubt that I made the right choice to leave the corporate world. Here are a few of my thoughts on the future of work:

1.     Companies that don’t get on board with flexible work will lose talent

This one is already happening before our eyes! Companies in industries that are historically inflexible have opened up to remote working, and have said that even after the pandemic ends, they will continue with hybrid or remote work. People have regained more control over their lives from companies and I believe that’s a good thing all around.  

2.     More vacation time will become the standard

When I was interning in London, I was floored at the amount of vacation time that was standard for employees regardless of experience level or industry – a whooping 25 days per year minimum! This is what I was given coming off my previous role where I had 10 days of vacation time per year. I remember how hard it was to fit everything I wanted to do in a year in those 10 days and I really do think the movement over the past year or so has made companies need to be more attractive to potential employees with more time off. And studies show more downtime leads to more productivity so that’s a win win in my book!

3.     Increased importance on retention and taking feedback from the bottom up

Free gym memberships, afternoon Zoom yoga classes, and monthly door dash credits are all great examples of retention perks that many companies have put an increased focus on in the last year. And while some of these can be seen as not getting at the real issues, I still think they’re a step in the right direction. I believe companies that continue to invest the time in listening to their employees will feel the benefits long term.